Understanding Psychology: An Engaging Emergency Lesson Plan

Objective

Students will explore basic psychological concepts, focusing on memory, learning, and emotions, while reflecting on personal experiences related to these concepts.

Materials/Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Handout for the personality quiz (see Example: 16 Personalities Quiz)
• Paper and pens/pencils for reflections
• Projector (optional for video content)
• Access to mental health podcasts or YouTube videos (optional)

Lesson Plan Procedure

Opening/Lesson Hook (10 minutes)

• Warm-up Activity: Personality Quiz

  • Distribute the personality quiz handout to students. Encourage them to answer the questions honestly without overthinking.
  • After completion, have them share their personality type with a partner and discuss if they feel it accurately reflects them.

Main Lesson Introduction (20 minutes)

1. Introduction to Basic Psychological Concepts:

   • Memory: Explain that memory is how we encode, store, and retrieve information. Discuss the importance of memory in daily life.
   • Learning: Introduce the idea that learning can occur through various methods, such as classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.
   • Emotions: Describe basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust) and their impact on behavior and decision-making.

2. Guided Discussion:

   • Ask students to think of a time when a strong emotion influenced their memory of an event. Facilitate a class discussion where students can share their thoughts.

Independent Practice (20 minutes)

• Reflection Activity:

  • Prompt students to write a short essay (1-2 paragraphs) on one of the following topics:

    • A personal experience where their emotions affected their decision-making.
    • A time when they learned something significant and how they retained that information.
    • Reflect on a memory that stands out and discuss why it is significant.

  • Encourage students to use specific examples and relate their experiences to the psychological concepts discussed earlier.

Differentiated Activities

• Below Grade Level:

  • Create a visual mind map that illustrates the concepts of memory, learning, and emotions. Use images and keywords to represent their understanding.

• At Grade Level:

  • Write a short narrative (1-2 pages) about a significant memory or learning experience, relating it to the psychological concepts covered.

• Above Grade Level:

  • Conduct a mini-research project on one psychological concept (e.g., memory techniques) and present findings to the class in a creative format (e.g., poster, slideshow).

Closing (10 minutes)

• Invite a few students to share their reflections with the class.
• Encourage a brief discussion on how understanding psychology can help in everyday life.

Extension Activities or Sample Questions

• Formative Assessment:

  • Ask students to create a simple quiz (3-5 questions) based on what they learned about memory, learning, and emotions. They can then quiz their peers.

• Summative Assessment:

  • Students write a letter to their future selves discussing how they plan to use psychological concepts to improve their learning and emotional regulation.

Reflection

• Substitute teachers should observe student engagement during discussions and reflections, noting which psychological concepts resonate with students.
• Collect the written reflections to assess student understanding and identify areas to revisit in future lessons.

Instructions and Tips for Substitute Teacher

• Ensure the warm-up activity is engaging. Encourage students to share and discuss their personality types.
• Foster an inclusive environment during discussions, allowing all students to participate.
• Remind students to respect each other's experiences and maintain confidentiality during sharing.
• Monitor time effectively, ensuring each section of the lesson is covered.
• Be prepared to facilitate discussions, guiding students to connect their experiences to the psychological concepts introduced.